Challah is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. Ritually-acceptable challah is made of dough from which a small portion has been set aside as an offering.

What does the Hebrew word challah mean?

The term challah in Biblical Hebrew meant a kind of loaf or cake. The Aramaic word given for its translation is גריצא‎ (pl. ... The food made from the balance of the dough is also called challah. The obligation applies to any loaf of bread, not only to the Shabbat bread.

What does challah symbolize?

The term “challah” is applied more widely to mean any bread used in Jewish rituals. ... On the eve of Shabbat, two loaves are placed on the table to reference the Jewish teaching that a double portion of manna fell from heaven on Friday to last through the Saturday Shabbat.